“Simply Love: Catholic Marriage day by day” was the theme of the annual marriage enrichment day presented March 1 by Marriages of Grace at the Center for Pastoral Leadership in Wickliffe.
About 85 couples — a few with infants in tow — participated in the daylong program, according to Tanis Merimee from Marriages of Grace. She and her husband Bill helped coordinate the event.
The program began with introductions and light refreshments, followed by speakers, adoration, opportunities for confession, breakout sessions, Mass and a candlelight dinner. Father Ryan Mann, pastor of St. Basil the Great Parish in Brecksville, celebrated the Mass.
Presenters were three couples — Kathleen and Troy Billings, Elizabeth and Nathan Schlueter and Kathleen and Ted Raddell — who shared experiences from their marriages, offered suggestions and answered questions.
(See photo gallery above.)
The Billings are co-authors of “Simply Love: Catholic Marriage Day by Day.” They have bee featured on EWTN, Relevant Radio, Awaken Catholic, FORMED and multiple podcasts. Kathleen Billings is a former writer for Catholic Mom and WINE (Women in the New Evangelization). She also is a contributing author to several other outlets. Troy Billings is a multilingual global corporate business executive. The couple live in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the parents of five.
The Schlueters have been married for 26 years and have nine children and one grandchild. Elizabeth Schlueter is assistant academic director of Canavox, an international marriage organization. She also has experience teaching as an RCIA director, a homeschooler and a teacher at a classical hybrid school. Nathan Schlueter is a philosophy professor at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. He has written multiple books and articles as well as the online course, “Introduction to Western Philosophy.” In addition, he is a recipient of Hillsdale’s Award for Teaching Excellence and serves on the Bishop’s Commission on Catholic Social Teaching.
The Raddells may be familiar since they live in the Diocese of Cleveland. They have been married for 36 yrs and have five children and six grandchildren. After a career in nursing, Kathleen Raddell now serves as special events coordinator for Notre Dame schools. Ted Raddell is the staff psychologist for Borromeo and Saint Mary seminaries and provides counseling for priests in the diocese. He is a health psychologist, professional coach and relationship expert whose mission is to make organizations, marriages and families stronger, more successful and satisfying. Ted Raddell is the author of “The Making of a Mindful Marriage: Mindfulness for Christian Couples.”
In their breakout session, the Schlueters talked about family culture, with Nathan recalling his experience meeting his in-laws. He said family life shapes who you become.
“My parents were a hard act to follow,” Elizabeth Schlueter quipped. She said her family has a strong family culture, something that has evolved over multiple generations. “Like a strong Catholic marriage, you need to build a healthy family,” she added. Referring to the old saying, “Home is where the heart is,” she said that’s very true — and it’s also where the heart is shaped.
Troy and Kathleen Billings discussed how they keep their marriage grounded and strong, noting it’s important to take some time to get away as a couple. “Take time away from the distractions of life and focus on your marriage and your spouse,” he said, comparing a getaway to an insurance policy for marriage. He also stressed the importance of finding time to pray. “We would do weekly adoration, a ‘date night with Jesus,’” he said.
Kathleen Billings said even if he’s traveling, Troy will seek out a church to spend time with the Lord. “Sometimes, we can even synch up our adoration times, despite being in different cities, states or countries.” She said spending a minimum of an hour helps them decompress. And when facing major decisions, the couple always seeks guidance from the Lord.
Both also stressed the importance of sincerity in marriage, including being truly sorry — and expressing it — if you hurt or offend your spouse.
The Raddells reinforced the need to make time to pray. “Attitude and intentionality can make it a prayer,” Ted Raddell told attendees at the breakout session.
Kathleen Raddell said they always say morning prayer early and when their children were younger, she would often pray with them at the bus stop or in the kitchen.
“Ted works at the seminary and the priests are like our brothers. The seminarians are like our sons. We are so grateful for all who are living out their vocation. It’s all because of God’s plan. He’s number one for me and Ted is number two, but he knew that. We surrender everything to God.”
Ted Raddell told the attendees he was grateful for the opportunity to address them. “Seeing all of you here, you inspire us. You are our witness to hope.”
In his homily, Father Mann asked the group to think about what made them decide to attend the enrichment program. “What made you come alive? What spoke to you? What stirred or moved you?” he asked.
He reminded the couples that sometimes we neglect what is in our hearts. “We need to listen, to change,” he added.
During Mass, a blessing was offered for the couples. They also were asked to extend their hands with their wedding rings and a blessing was offered for the rings.
After Mass, the group moved to the Founder’s Room for dinner and conversation before the day concluded.
Marriages of Grace will have Cana Night dinner 6-9 p.m. May 30 at the Welshfield Inn in Burton. Bishop Edward Malesic will be the guest speaker. His topic will be his pastoral letter, “A Flourishing Apostolic Church.” Click here for more information.